‘Snake-eyed’ creature with ‘pocket’ on its neck found in India. It’s a new species
In a forest of western India, a “snake-eyed” creature with a “pocket” on its neck scrounged around for its next meal. Something about the “cryptic” animal caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited several sites across Gujarat and Maharashtra states between 2013 and 2019 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Nov. 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Taprobanica. They suspected some “cryptic”-looking lizards in the region were being misidentified but wanted to know for sure.
During the searches, researchers found over a dozen “slender” lizards with “snake”-like eyes, the study said. They took a closer look at the reptiles, analyzed their DNA and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Ophisops venustus, or the charming snake-eyed lizard.
Charming snake-eyed lizards are considered “small bodied,” reaching just over 4 inches in length, the study said. They have “short” heads with “small,” “bronze” eyes and a “large transparent disc” on their eyelids. Their “slender” bodies have a “mite pocket” on their neck and two more pockets near their tail.
Mite pockets are skin folds on a lizard’s body where mites will live and feed, according to an article from the University of Texas. “Some researchers believe these pockets actually help the lizard deal more efficiently with infestation” by limiting its area.
Male and female charming snake-eyed lizards vary in coloring, the study said. Both have brown bodies with white-ish stripes running down their sides, but males also have several “sky blue spots” on their sides, photos show.
The new species lives in “forests and plateaus of various hills” between elevations of about 800 to 4,800 feet but is more common at higher elevations, researchers said. Lizards were active during the day and often seen “foraging on the ground.” When scared, the animals hid under rocks.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word “venustus,” meaning “charming / elegant / beautiful,” because of its coloring.
So far, charming snake-eyed lizards have been found at several sites across Gujarat and Maharashtra, two neighboring states along the west coast of India, the study said. Researchers suspect the lizard also lives in “the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh.”
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, body shape, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least an 8% genetic divergence from other snake-eyed lizards.
The research team included Harshil Patel, Raju Vyas, Tejas Thackeray, Saunak Pal and Zeeshan Mirza.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 11:09 AM with the headline "‘Snake-eyed’ creature with ‘pocket’ on its neck found in India. It’s a new species."
